Aircraft stabilizer



May 20 1924. 1,495,108

' Y J. w. RESH ET AL v AIRCRAFT STABILI-ZER Filed Dec. 1 1, 19122 :5Sheets-Sheet 1 la-wcntozd 2M mum W" 6 I f; MM'WM after nu May 20 1924.

1 ,495108 J. W. RESH ET AL AIRCRAFT SIABILIZER Filed Dec. 11, 1922 3Sheets-$heet 2 May 20 1924.

' J. w. RESH ET AL AIRCRAFT S-TABILIZER Filed Dec, 11 1922 sSheets-Sheet s attorneys Patented May 20, 1924.

UNITED STATES P v 1,495,108 ATENT OFFICE.

JACOB WILLIAM RESH AND CHARLES KUNZE. OF KENNETT. CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOBSOF THREE-EIGHT HS TO VICTOR E. \VARRENS, OF HILT, CALIFORNIA.

v AIRCRAFT s'ranrtrznn.

Application filed December 11, 1922. Serial No, 606,187. 7

To 1/] I whom it may concern Be it known that we. JAOOB IVILLIAM Res-1rand tnannns Knxzn, citizens of the United States, residing at Kennett,in the county of Shasta and State of California,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Aircraft Stabilizers, ingis a specification.

This invention relates to the stabilization of aircraft and particularlyJaeroplanes. The main object of the inventi n is to provide effectivesafety means which will operate automatically to maintain the stabilityof an aircraft, marine vessel or vehicle of any description while inmotion, the stabilizing means, when used on an aeroplane, ,causing thesame away courseand preventing the same from going into a tail spin orsteep spiral descent, enabling a safe landing to be made in case ofstoppage of the motive power of the of which the followcra With theabove and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement herein fully described, shown.and claimed. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an airplane showing the stabilizing meansthereon;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the stabilizing means;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same; and

Figure 4: is a fragmentary top plan view showing another mounting forthe stabilizer.

In order to illustrate the principle of the invention, the stabilizingmeans shown generally at A is mounted on a part of the empennage B of anairplane embodying a fuselage or body 0 wings D, lateral balancingsurfaces or ailerons E and propeller F.

As shown in Figure 1, the stabilizer A which comprises a gyroscope ismounted in I a circular opening 5 1n the elevator 6 of the airplanein-rear of the fixed stabilizing surface or horizontal fin 7 theelevator 6 being, as usual, hinged to the rear of the surface 7 InFigure 4, cut away leaving a gap the elevator 6' is centrally 8 in whichthe stabilizer A is mounted, said stabilizer being 9 projecting rear- C.Other ways supported by Outriggers wardly from the fuselage to pursue astraighta of mountingthe stabilizer A may be de vised.

The stabilizing means A, as shown in the enlarged detail views,Figures'2 and 3, comprises a high speed rotor or wheel 10, on a drivingshaft 11 to which motion is imparted by on a turntable 13 which sets inthe opening 5 in the elevatorfi, as shown inFigm-e 1. the shaft 11 beingnormally horizontal when the machine is in flight, and the rotoroperating in a normally vertical plane and serving as the verticalrudder of the craft whether the rotor is operating or still.

The turntable 13 is mounted in a supporting frame shown as comprisingupper stationary rings 14 connected in spaced reone or more motors 12supported lation to each other by pins or bolts 15 ena I ,circled byrollers 16 against which the pebilizer to maintain the aircraft on astraightaway course and prevent the same from getting into a tailspin.The frame 14; is fixedly mounted in the opening 5 of Figure 1 in theelevator, or fastened to the outriggers 9 of Figured.

Operating means such as cables 18 are secured to the turntable 13 atabout diametrically opposite points thereof and extend forwardly oversuitable guide pulleys 19 to a vertical rudder control, such as a footbar 20. Thus the rotor 10 acts as a vertical rudder whether it isrotating or not. When rotating the rotor 10 keeps the machine fromturning suddenly to the right or left and causes the machine to fly on astraight course.

The stabilizer may be used with equally good results on all types ofaircraft, marine vessels, and land vehicles of all kinds, and suchstabilizer may be placed at any desired place on the vehicle to give thebest rotor 10 is preferably in so as to offer as possible, while itssupporting alents,

gyroscopic stabilizer mounted in frame may be housed within the plane ofthe elevator for the same purpose. A hand switch may be used to controlthe operation of the gyroscopic stabilizer, so that it may be readilythrown into or out of operation.

The motors 12 may be energized from a storage battery or any othersource of electric energy.

In practice, we have found that the formof our invention illustrated inthe aceom panying drawings and referred to in the above description, asthe preferred embodiment, is the most eflicient and practical; yetrealizing the conditions concurrent with the adoption of our device willnecessarily vary, we desire to emphasize that various minor changes indetails of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts, may beresorted to within, the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom or sacrificing any of the principles of this'invention.

Having thus described our invention, and without enumerating variationsand equivwhat .we desire protected by Let ters Patent is as set forth inthe following claims:

1.. In combination with an aircraft, a

such relation to the aircraft as to maintain the directional stabilitythereof, said stabilizer embodying a vertically positioned disc-likerotor, and means to actuate the rotor about its vertical axis at anangle with to the direction of flight to provide bined stabilizer andvertical rudder.

', respect a com- ,horizontal axis, and

'of the disc, and additional means to actuate the rotor about. itsvertical axis at an angle with respect to the direction of flight toprovide a combined stabilizer andv vertical rudder.

3. In. combination with an aircraft, a high speed rotor of disc-likeformation mounted adjacent the rear end-0f the fuse lage, means toeffect continuous rotationof the disc, and additional means to actuatethe rotor about its vertical axis to provide a combined stabilizerandvertical rudder.

4. In combination with an aircraft, a gyroscopic stabilizer mounted tionlo the aircraft as to maintain the directional stability thereof, saidstabilizer embodying a vertically positioned disc-like rotor, meansunder control of'the pilot for continuous rotation of the rotor around aadditional means also under control of the pilot to-actuate' the rotorabout its vertical axis at. an angle with respect to the directionof'flight to provide a combined stabilizer and vertical rudder.

JACOB W lLLIAM RESH. CHAR-LES KUNZE. Wi tncsscs K. V. Bum,

W. W. MIDDLETON;

in such rela-

